But your enjoyment doesn’t end with a comfortable flight. These days, many private jets are equipped with DVD and CD players -- and some even offer surround sound. You’ll have a library of movies and music to choose from -- or you can bring along your own. Your flight planner will work with you to make sure you have the entertainment you desire.
Would highly recommend anyone looking for charters to contact Stratos. Their team was second to none in handling our request from first call to post flight. The CEO was even kind enough to phone me to ensure that we had located our crew at the FBO just prior to departure. I have run multiple aircraft in flight departments for many years and can truly say that its hard to find this level of professionalism in the business.
Of course, the cheapest way to fly privately is to have a friend who invites you on their flight. Then there are the semi-private charters like JetSmarter, JetSuiteX and JetClass where you can buy a seat on a scheduled private jet and corporate shuttle flight sharing it with strangers, much like if you were on a commercial airline. You can buy tickets on these flights for under $200 and you do avoid those crowded main airport terminals. However, if you want to have the real deal experience, chartering your own private jet, you are looking at something between $5,000 and up to $20,000 per hour depending on the size of aircraft and routing.
Once you've got a price quote, it's worth the effort to call around and get three or four other quotes. Prices vary widely, and one of the most important things to know is that you will often be paying for the plane to get to you, also known as the repositioning fee. Additional charges, common to a lot of flights, include airport charges. At New Jersey's Teterboro, it's $100, while some airports with higher density have an added fee. There are also takeoff fees to consider.
With five decades of experience, Clay Lacy has an impeccable safety record. Clay Lacy received the prestigious ARG/US Platinum Rating, is the longest standing Wyvern Wingman charter operator and attained IS-BAO Stage 3 certification by the International Business Aviation Council. It is a member of the NATA Safety First, and is the recipient of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FAA Diamond Award for maintenance excellence. Clay Lacy’s reputation for safety is unsurpassed by any other company.
From start to finish, our experience with Stratos was totally professional, made very simple and the ultimate in how charter travel should be booked/enjoyed! We know it takes an entire team behind the scenes but all credit to Joel for his 'personal' touch and for making our return trip to New York a very memorable one indeed!!! We have used several charter companies worldwide over the years but Joel and his team beat them all!!!
The most economical option is chartering, which doesn't require any cash upfront (other than a deposit) through companies like Tradewind, Sentient, and Solairus, (which we took home from North Carolina). Of course, there are the old standbys like NetJets and Marquis, who sell fractional ownership (like 1/16th) of a single jet for upwards of $100K. One step down from that, pricewise, is the jet card, where you buy a set amount of hours from a company like Nicholas or Private Jet Services, and can use those hours for different planes. Then there are membership models like WheelsUp, where you pay $17,500 as an initiation fee to fly in their fleet, and then a $8,500 annual dues fee starting the second year. It's like a country club—only you're guaranteed access to a KingAir350i or Citation Excel / XLS instead of a golf course.

After your initial enquiry you will be assigned a personal charter expert who will send you a selection of quotes for you to choose from. Each quote will have a clear breakdown of aircrafts and airports and reasons they have been selected for you. Should you wish to go ahead they will then book the aircraft and send you all the flight details including directions to the terminal and any other important information. They will be your first point of call for any further enquiries you may have up to the flight and, if possible, they will meet you at the terminal. From your initial quote you will be able to contact your account manager 24/7 (if on holiday you will be assigned another account manager to cover) so you can call from wherever, whenever you like.